Getchell leads Southridge boys past Kamiakin

Daniel Getchell spent most of the 2012-13 boys basketball season as the Southridge Suns’ defensive stopper.

This season, Southridge coach D.J. Traver seems to have found a more suitable role for the senior guard.

Getchell, the Suns’ leading scorer, hit for a career-high 28 points in a 58-47 Mid-Columbia Conference win over the host Kamiakin Braves on Saturday night. Getchell hit 11 of 18 shots and drilled 5 of 8 from the free-throw line to keep Southridge undefeated in the MCC at 4-0.

“He’s crafty,” Traver said. “He got into a little foul trouble at the end, but we rebounded well down the stretch and didn’t give up.”

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Traver also gave credit to this season’s defensive stopper, junior guard Nolan Molt, who held Kamiakin’s top scorer — Kylle Robertson — to 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

“(Molt) is our guy on defense. This is the second night in a row he’s done that,” Traver said, referring to Molt holding Walla Walla’s Gabe Porter to just three points in a 56-54 home win Friday. “We talked about (Kamiakin’s) ability to make runs, but we kept them to 2-3 baskets at a time instead of 4-5.”

The Suns (5-3) led from start to finish, as Cole Pitt drilled a 3-pointer 3 minute into the game to put the first points on the board. Getchell scored the next two buckets to put Southridge up 7-2.

Getchell showed off his court awareness on several occasions, driving to the rack for a first-quarter layin. He scored seven more in the second quarter, including a reverse layin followed by a 3-pointer to put the Suns up 22-9 with 5:20 left in the half.

Getchell saved his best for last, however, netting 12 points in the fourth when Kamiakin (3-7, 1-3 MCC) threatened the Suns’ lead. He split two defenders for a bucket early in the quarter and then, less than a minute later, spun around a defender on the left wing with his back to the basket, attacking the left baseline for a layin to make it 43-31.

Trailing 45-31 with 6 minutes left in the game, the Braves used a 12-0 run to pull within 45-43 at the 3:45 mark.

But Brent Schafer hit a pair of free throws to stop Kamiakin’s run, and then Gave Vorheis drilled a 3-pointer to give Southridge some breathing room at 49-43 with 2:51 to go.

Getchell had a few more tricks up his sleeve as well. He slipped past a defender on the left baseline for his 26th point and then scored on the Suns’ next possession as well, finding some open space in the lane to put Southridge up 57-45.

“I felt like they were going to make the switch, so I just wanted to keep the ball in my hands,” Getchell said. “We wanted to keep our foot on the pedal.”

The Suns finished the game on a 13-2 run.

Kamiakin showed some spark, getting back into the game after trailing by 14 in the second quarter, but Braves coach Brian Meneely chose his words carefully after the team’s third conference loss.

“It all starts for us on defense. We can’t give up so many lay-ins,” Meneely said. “We have to be able to take what we work on during practice Monday through Thursday and apply it on Friday and Saturday.”

Kamiakin shot just over 30 percent (15-for-49), missing all but two of their 15 3-point attempts.

“It was a chaotic night offensively. We need to show composure when working through tough stretches,” Meneely added.

Blake Wagar led the Braves with 13 points, seven of them in the third quarter. He also collected a game-high three steals.

Schafer led both sides with 10 rebounds, and Cole Pitt added 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-4 from the 3-point arc.